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Best states for an adjunct professor
Quoted expert
Dr. Kathleen Hohenleitner
- Rank 1 - 10
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Do you want to become an adjunct professor at University of Phoenix, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for adjunct professors that you can check out, before you begin your journey. In order to help you decide which state is the best for adjunct professors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for adjunct professor jobs.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for adjunct professors.We found that New York is the best state for adjunct professor jobs, whereas Hawaii is the worst.
10 best states for adjunct professors in 2026
1. New York
Total adjunct professor jobs: 1,562 Average annual salary: $126,977 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $224,000 Location Quotient: 2.12
2. Rhode Island
Total adjunct professor jobs: 65 Average annual salary: $129,569 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $226,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
3. District of Columbia
Total adjunct professor jobs: 185 Average annual salary: $120,045 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $218,000 Location Quotient: 1.92
4. Alaska
Total adjunct professor jobs: 135 Average annual salary: $109,986 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 2.81
5. New Jersey
Total adjunct professor jobs: 585 Average annual salary: $116,137 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $212,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
6. Oregon
Total adjunct professor jobs: 409 Average annual salary: $107,793 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
7. Maine
Total adjunct professor jobs: 57 Average annual salary: $120,705 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $213,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
8. Vermont
Total adjunct professor jobs: 64 Average annual salary: $103,111 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 1.45
9. Massachusetts
Total adjunct professor jobs: 391 Average annual salary: $116,057 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $209,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
10. Connecticut
Total adjunct professor jobs: 80 Average annual salary: $125,617 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $222,000 Location Quotient: 0.42
Adjunct professor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an adjunct professor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an adjunct professor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $126,977 | $71,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,562 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $129,569 | $74,000 | 1,059,639 | 65 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $120,045 | $65,000 | 693,972 | 185 |
| 4 | Alaska | $109,986 | $67,000 | 739,795 | 135 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $116,137 | $63,000 | 9,005,644 | 585 |
| 6 | Oregon | $107,793 | $60,000 | 4,142,776 | 409 |
| 7 | Maine | $120,705 | $68,000 | 1,335,907 | 57 |
| 8 | Vermont | $103,111 | $55,000 | 623,657 | 64 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $116,057 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 391 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $125,617 | $70,000 | 3,588,184 | 80 |
| 11 | Utah | $102,831 | $55,000 | 3,101,833 | 165 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $95,311 | $49,000 | 12,805,537 | 827 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $87,897 | $44,000 | 1,815,857 | 156 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $92,548 | $47,000 | 5,024,369 | 401 |
| 15 | Delaware | $108,380 | $57,000 | 961,939 | 39 |
| 16 | California | $107,618 | $57,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,243 |
| 17 | Maryland | $92,341 | $46,000 | 6,052,177 | 387 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $88,241 | $47,000 | 1,920,076 | 118 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $101,154 | $54,000 | 1,342,795 | 47 |
| 20 | Montana | $82,283 | $44,000 | 1,050,493 | 112 |
| 21 | Ohio | $88,563 | $45,000 | 11,658,609 | 453 |
| 22 | Virginia | $82,291 | $40,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,010 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $85,587 | $44,000 | 5,795,483 | 250 |
| 24 | Iowa | $79,293 | $41,000 | 3,145,711 | 221 |
| 25 | Washington | $91,770 | $50,000 | 7,405,743 | 248 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $72,271 | $35,000 | 2,984,100 | 154 |
| 27 | Texas | $72,837 | $35,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,437 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $73,549 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 558 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $76,994 | $38,000 | 2,088,070 | 80 |
| 30 | Colorado | $72,509 | $37,000 | 5,607,154 | 575 |
| 31 | Michigan | $73,599 | $36,000 | 9,962,311 | 360 |
| 32 | Nevada | $82,683 | $41,000 | 2,998,039 | 27 |
| 33 | Arizona | $78,497 | $38,000 | 7,016,270 | 158 |
| 34 | Alabama | $69,999 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 249 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $66,543 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 216 |
| 36 | Indiana | $64,079 | $31,000 | 6,666,818 | 460 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $71,924 | $36,000 | 3,004,279 | 57 |
| 38 | Missouri | $70,643 | $35,000 | 6,113,532 | 234 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $69,393 | $36,000 | 5,576,606 | 235 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $69,569 | $38,000 | 755,393 | 22 |
| 41 | Florida | $67,700 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 587 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $50,501 | $24,000 | 4,454,189 | 363 |
| 43 | Georgia | $58,985 | $27,000 | 10,429,379 | 454 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $57,079 | $27,000 | 6,715,984 | 253 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $52,630 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 58 |
| 46 | Illinois | $61,153 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 447 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $55,386 | $28,000 | 579,315 | 23 |
| 48 | Idaho | $58,082 | $29,000 | 1,716,943 | 27 |
| 49 | Kansas | $54,916 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 78 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $54,272 | $26,000 | 3,930,864 | 76 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $55,476 | $26,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
Highest paying states for adjunct professors
| Rank | State | Avg. Adjunct Professor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $126,977 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $129,569 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $120,045 |
| 4 | Alaska | $109,986 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $116,137 |
| 6 | Oregon | $107,793 |
| 7 | Maine | $120,705 |
| 8 | Vermont | $103,111 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $116,057 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $125,617 |
| 11 | Utah | $102,831 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $95,311 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $87,897 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $92,548 |
| 15 | Delaware | $108,380 |
| 16 | California | $107,618 |
| 17 | Maryland | $92,341 |
| 18 | Nebraska | $88,241 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $101,154 |
| 20 | Montana | $82,283 |
| 21 | Ohio | $88,563 |
| 22 | Virginia | $82,291 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $85,587 |
| 24 | Iowa | $79,293 |
| 25 | Washington | $91,770 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $72,271 |
| 27 | Texas | $72,837 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $73,549 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $76,994 |
| 30 | Colorado | $72,509 |
| 31 | Michigan | $73,599 |
| 32 | Nevada | $82,683 |
| 33 | Arizona | $78,497 |
| 34 | Alabama | $69,999 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $66,543 |
| 36 | Indiana | $64,079 |
| 37 | Arkansas | $71,924 |
| 38 | Missouri | $70,643 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $69,393 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $69,569 |
| 41 | Florida | $67,700 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $50,501 |
| 43 | Georgia | $58,985 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $57,079 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $52,630 |
| 46 | Illinois | $61,153 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $55,386 |
| 48 | Idaho | $58,082 |
| 49 | Kansas | $54,916 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $54,272 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $55,476 |
Expert opinions on the best states for adjunct professors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for adjunct professors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Kathleen Hohenleitner
Senior Lecturer, University of Central Florida
Well, many students come to school intending to work in "book publishing," which I think means they want to read manuscripts at Penguin. That's not a super realistic goal for anyone unless they are in New York City, are independently wealthy, and are willing to start at the very bottom of the ladder. But there are nonetheless many other jobs for good writers, editors, and researchers all around the country. We were seeing more writers telecommuting even before the pandemic too, so I hope that indicates that such jobs are more about performance than about location.
There were also many jobs being advertised for English teachers in local public schools before the pandemic. I hope that continues.
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Updated January 8, 2025